Tome of zOMG TacticsHow to Fight Effectively Against the Animated Forces

You say your game has slumped a bit lately? Farming isn't enough to get you past an Area? Perhaps you are in need of reinventing the way you fight. Read on and see just where the right tactics can take you.

v1.0 - Guide fully written and submitted for public viewing. [12-9-08]v1.1 - Added Links post. [12-9-08]v1.1.1 - Included Meat effects within Example Ring Builds. [12-10-08]v1.3 - Added Framework for Boss Tactics and Tag posts. Will complete these soon. [1-3-09]v1.3.2 - Half-arsed the Tags post as well as put up three styles. [1-04-09]v1.3.5 - Nearly finished the Tags post for the existing styles, as well as noted the Enemy forces for the Boss Tactics post. [1-05-09]v1.3.8 - Finished Boss Tactics for Dreedle, OMGWTF, Kat's Kokeshi Doll, Mama & Papa Saw, and Predator Commander. Will get to the rest of the bosses and proper formatting soon. [1-26-09]v1.3.9 - Boss Tactics for Stone Coatl and Queen Lorelei up. Still need to visit the new Boss Lairs, as well as apply formatting. sweatdrop [1-27-09]v1.3.9.5 - Updated the Table of Contents, and formatted the Boss Tactics that are up. [1-28-09]v1.3.9.10 - In addition, updated Credits, Table of Contents, Links, as well as formatted the Boss Tactics post some. [1-28-09]v1.4 - Added Tips post, and managed to get the Boss Dialog put in the Boss Tactics section. [2-12-09]v1.4.3 - Organized the Tips, and made a mention on Guideline #4 and an upcoming format change. [2-17-09]v1.4.5 - Added a few more Guides, and revised the Sniper tactics some. [2-25-09]v1.4.8 - Updated the General Tactics post. [3-16-09]v1.5 - Lots of updates today. Added Subheaders (denoted by =This=), Site navigation links, new Credits, and little word fixes here and there. [3-19-09]v1.5.2 - Updated the bit on the Stone Coatl scenario. Still needs a bit of tweaking. [6-18-09]v1.5.2.1 - Added zOMG! Enemy Cards! Info on the animated! to Links Out. [6-23-09]v2.0 - The Tactician is back. w000t. [3-9-2010]v2.0.1 - Modified Terminology post with ??? as per Sami Von Disco's feedback. [3-10-2010]v2.1 - Fixing up loose holes thanks to gataka's posts. Also changed colors to Sac State Green for St. Patrick's Day. [3-14-2010]v2.2 - screamscreamscream [4-3-2010]

Anyways, this guide aims to pass valuable methods of waging battle and increasing the chances of winning your fights to you, the reader. Whether you're a newcomer to zOMG, someone who's seen a few fights, or a battle-hardened veteran, the goal is all the same - if any reader evades Dazing, or ducks any dicey situation zOMG throws at you at least once by applying the tactics in this guide, it can be counted as a success.

If you're still fuzzy on what tactics actually are, let's start with the definition from Merriam Webster: "the science and art of disposing and maneuvering forces in combat." Sure, disposing of your enemies, the Animated, can be quite simple, but the difficulty ramps up with stronger and more enemies as you go on in your zOMG travels. As most Animated follow simple movement behavior, you and your Crew can tip the encounter in your favor by simply employing maneuvers half the time. In addition, the right actions can mean all the difference between engaging your enemies successfully and heading into combat with a death wish.

Keep in mind that tactics are there to assist you - they are not surefire "guaranteed victory" h4x. No matter what, there is no substitute for being the appropriate CL for a particular area. However... become practiced at making the best decisions in response to the situation at hand, and eventually you'll be a formidable force all your own.

###How to Use this Guide

If you're a soloer, crew junkie, or anything in between, there's something for you in here.

Remember to use the handy Ctrl+F [Command+F if you're on a Mac] shortcut to pinpoint any specific piece of info you're looking for.

To help you decide if a particular strategy is right for you, take a look at the Pro: and Con: bullets - they list the advantages and disadvantages, respectively.

If walls o' text aren't your thing, look for the Recap bullets. They sum up the previous set of paragraphs into handy little bullets for your skimming pleasure. Or just great when you want quick, get-in get-out info.

Feel free to play around and experiment to achieve the best formula that works for YOU. What works for one person may not be as effective for the next person.

Do suppress your level and conduct testing runs in lower areas if you feel you need more practice. Get a good feel for the different flavors of combat sometime lest you find yourself in over your head. Practice makes perfect, after all.

For all the long, drawn-out explanations this Guide offers, tactics in battle are rarely, if ever, tedious analysis and calculations. Rather, Real-time tactics consist of quick observations and even quicker decisions.

Don't worry if all this seems like a lot to take in. Just keep at this against the enemy Animated, and you'll eventually have these tactics down as second nature.

Aggro - An Animated's choice in who to attack. Not to be confused with Hate, which is the determining factor for who gets the Aggro. Whoever has the most Hate gets the Aggro.

Animated - Hostile objects that have come to life with G'hi infusion. And by life, it actually means they will attack a zOMGaian actively, or passively.

AoE - Area of Effect. An attack or effect that is spread throughout a certain area, like Dervish or Fire Rain. In addition, the majority of attack Rings gain an area-wide attack when Raged, like Guns Guns Guns.

Buffs - Stat Alteration rings. They increase a player's Stats and last for a given time period, called their Duration. Either their effect or duration is increased when the Buff ring is powered up with Rage.

Build - The combination of Eight rings you have equipped presently. Ideally a Build will have at least one of Attack, Healing, and Buff rings, Crowd Control optional. A better build can help take your tactics further, by gearing towards a specific purpose. Conversely, a poor build [think of the oft-mentioned heavy Stamina drainers, like Seven Attacks + Diagnose, or its close cousin Six Attacks + Diagnose + Defib] can hamper your combat effectiveness.

Conning - Selecting something, friend or foe, and gauging how strong they are. Can either be done relatively with colors, or looking directly at their CL.

Crew - A temporary party of two to six zOMG players that band together for a specific purpose, whether it's simply hanging out all the way to moving in on a boss together. Crews have the benefits of keeping track of each other easier, having a special Crew Chat utility, and experience increased loot drop frequency if all the members are of similar CLs.

Crowd Control - Rings used to restrain an enemy's movement, or drive them away. Some of them mix in Debuffs along with the restraining.

Debuffs - Negative Status effects inflicted upon targets. Some consist of lowering a stat, others disable the target, and others cause the target to run in a panic.

DoT - Damage over Time. An attack that knocks out HP over a specific time period, like a negative Bandage. Hot Foot and the Walkers' Acid spray attack are 2 good examples of this.

Hate - The product of player actions that Animated find offensive: attacking, healing players who attack, and using Crowd Control. The primary factor in deciding Aggro.

Kiting - A common name for "Hit and Run" tactics. The idea is to use ranged rings and cause damage, while evading attacks sent your way by movement.

Melee - Up close and personal. Think of a sword strike.

Null Chamber - Your ringset customization center, teleportation system, and respawn point all in one! Handy, isn't it? Here you can take rings off and put them on freely to match your needs, and when you click on a Null Chamber Crystal from the overworld, you can pop out of that very location from any other Null you've visited. This makes traveling in between areas a LOT quicker. Plus, if you click on "Awaken Now" after your health hits 0, you'll pop back in here, and maybe get greeted by a Null Chamber Hint from Trixie.

Rage - A power meter of sorts, filled by landing attacks, getting hit, and healing, casting a Crowd Control. To utilize, hold a ring's hotkey [default is numbers 1 through 8] and let loose at the desired level. Ring effects start at RR1 [Rage Rank 1, a normal ring use] and go up to RR4, which is fully Raged and takes up one full Rage Meter. Rings still fire at the normal amount of stamina, but sport increased effect. Choose which ring you want to Rage wisely.

Ranged - From far off in the distance. Think of firing a gun at a target far away.

Ring - Your "weapons" and "spells" in this quirky game. Use Charge Orbs to power them up, and salvage the ones you don't need. [And, any ring acquired after December 8th, 2008 is therefore irrevocably soulbound and cannot be sold on the Marketplace, with the exception of the Sweetheart ring. Remember this.]

Set - Not to be confused with a Build [your 8 rings that you have on], this refers to a combination of 4 rings that must be worn on the Left OR the Right 4 spaces on your ring tray to invoke a certain Stat boost. A set is indicated by a light yellow glow around the 4 rings worn in zOMG. The sets and their Bonuses are:

As an old proverb says, "A drop of knowledge is equal to a sea of force." While the literal meaning might not translate into zOMG as well, the meaning still holds: battles can go your way given that you know the right things and how to apply them. How? By knowing what is disadvantageous for the enemies you're up against, as well as what they'll try to throw your way, and anticipating what will happen. Simply hold off for a few seconds before attacking and get a feel for the conditions surrounding the area.

One such method of obtaining info is by Conning. The quick definition is to select an enemy by either clicking on them or by tapping the Tilde key to cycle through enemies, and observe the border color around their picture. The colors aren't just there for show, they indicate the strength they have *relative* to yours. The color meanings are as follows. Simply take your current CL and subtract the enemy's - it'll fall within a certain range.

################Purple################-1.6 and lower########################Blue########################-1.5 to -0.6################################Green################################-0.5 to +0.4########################################Yellow########################################+0.5 to +1.4################################################Red################################################+1.5 and higher

Naturally, enemies whose CLs are much lower than yours are weaker, while the opposite is also true. However, CL is not the only determining factor of a battle's outcome - it merely predicts the probability of said outcome, and only against one enemy. It does not factor in other Animated, nor does it account for other players you might be Crewed with. In addition, Con colors are not absolute. Some Animated might prove to be a handful at Green, while it's not completely impossible to defeat Animated who con Red.

You can con the enemies who appear on the adjacent screen as well. When you get close to the edge of the current screen, starburst-shaped glyphs appear: these glyphs follow the same color-coded scheme as above, but with added info. The bigger the glyph is, the closer the Animated, and vice versa. You can use this to gauge whether or not you'll be walking into a mob of enemies on the screen over. [A different type of glyph also shows up for Crew members, as well.]

Yet another aspect of this is the battlefield itself. There are times when the land formations lend themselves to affecting combat. Elevated regions of land, stone structures, and bodies of water serve to narrow the playing field down, favoring certain tactics more than others. For example, there are a few bridges in zOMG where combat takes place - the walkable area is constricted, so enemies are packed in close. For these kinds of places, AoE tends to work much better, since the scope of the attack encompasses the bridge span entirely. Other places the elevations differ, creating terraced regions. Melee range rings do not work here, so often times Ranged Rings are ace for these ground conditions.

Recap######
Con enemies by selecting them, or getting close to the edge of the screen.
Observe the enemy formations - how closely packed they are.
Note the playable area and choose the best tactic to employ.

###Keep some Stamina handy for unexpected occasions.

Stamina is your primary ammunition when heading into battle. Every single ring [with the exception of Fitness] needs a certain amount of Stamina to be used, and having no Stamina left effectively disables those rings of yours. When that happens, you can't attack. You can't defend. You can't even heal. You can only run when this happens - especially if you're being attacked by enemies. Normally you can kneel to increase the rate of Stamina regeneration, but doing so in battle causes you to take three times as much damage, risking the chance of being Dazed. This isn't a very good idea, especially in the upper levels where there's no Null Chamber to respawn from. Instead, shake the Animated from following you, and *then* kneel to rest.

If need be, use only the rings that you need. Avoid casting an AoE attack when there's only one enemy engaging you, and stay away from using Ranged attacks at point-blank range. Otherwise, judge [quickly] whether you'll be able to finish off anything given your remaining stamina and take them out as soon as possible, or hide out and replenish your Stamina and resume the attack sometime later.

To avoid Stamina getting low, a few options are available. One is to don the Shaman Set, whose bonus is to increase the rate of Stamina Regen. Another is to have a Divinity cast on you - it also "heals" your Stamina over a time period, dependent upon how much Rage it's powered up by. There's also the Fitness ring too, which ups all of your stats by a marginal amount.

Recap######
Conserve Stamina with rings you need at the moment if the situation requires.
Head to a safe spot and kneel, to avoid taking Critical Damage while recovering Stamina faster.
If you want, employ the Shaman set and the Divinity buff to regain Stamina faster.

###There are only such things as tactical retreats.

Qixter, the first Senior Developer for zOMG, once said "Don't be afraid to run when grossly outnumbered." This is true, especially when things aren't going as planned. Your HP is plummeting faster than a rock, your Stamina's depleted, all your buddies have either been Dazed or are in the same sticky predicament.... things just aren't going well. Your only choice for now is to retreat and regroup.

Before that happens, however, if retreating a few screens improves your prospects of surviving and/or coming out the victor in the current fight, then by all means - do so. Often certain enemies will repeatedly spawn in a particular location, and you [plus your Crew, if there is one] only have so much Stamina to spare if no short breaks are taken. The Animated will just keep on coming. However, move over one screen, and the enemies currently attacking you will follow, but NOT the rest of the other spawns. This reduces the size of the mob you're trying to fight off, making it easier to prevail against them. Keep this in mind for when your Stamina is getting low.

If things really aren't looking favorable, fall back even further. Mobs will generally follow for approximately three screens from their original spawn point, or from their predetermined patrolling path before giving up and leaving you alone. If need be, seek out safe screens - Animated will never follow you when you go to these special places, so you can hunker down and regroup here. Explore an area to find out where these safe screens are. In addition, Animated will NEVER follow you past Area Boundaries. Use this to your advantage if need be.

Recap######
Feel free to retreat - even better if it improves battle conditions for you.
Divide and conquer enemies - a small group is more easily defeated than a large mob.
Make use of safe screens and gates to other areas to avoid predicaments.

###Know your Rings and how to apply them efficiently.

Knowing how your rings work makes zOMG go a LOT smoother. It certainly saves time to know what targets a ring can affect, as in the case of Defibrillate. The ability to recover from Dazing is certainly quite useful.... but only to other people. It's an allies-only ring, which signifies two things right away: 1. You can't un-Daze yourself no matter what. Allies-only means it's almost always a Crew's ring, except if you're either feeling generous and Defibbing random Dazed people or if you have it on for the Medic Set's Footspeed bonus. 2. Defib has little to no place within solo ringsets. Even worse if you happen to be in an instanced area, since no one is around. The lack of targets essentially means that Defib is dead weight to you in that scenario. Needless to say, you could have brought something else that's useful.

Also factoring in the grand equation is the range of a certain ring. Having that bit of info is handy since you can tell whether a target will be hit with an attack or not. At first, Shark Attack's good Damage rating seems nice, until a player discovers that the range is only a smidgen better than a Melee ring.

Let's not forget about Cooldown time either. Certain rings take longer to refresh and become available for use than others. Knowing this enables you to better plan a course of action based around when your rings become available. Just don't try to go about memorizing the exact time when rings finish cooling down, since that's impractical. Instead, learn which rings feature a speedy cooldown time, and which ones don't.

A guide on Rings is like the weapons manual - it tells you the specifications and limitations of the tool to be used. [Valheita does a good job of it here.] Knowing how to use your "weapons" is the start of learning how to wage combat effectively, so one can move on into tactical maneuvers, which this guide deals in.

Recap######
Know the range and scope of Rings and their effects.
Keep the approximate times of Ring effect duration and recharge in mind.
Plan out what you need beforehand, and time your tactics according to what's equipped.

###Timing is everything.

Frequently, some actions are better at certain times than at others. Raging a Bandage ring at half HP is better than waiting until there's only 10 left. Waiting until a patrol slips by and then sneaking around them is better than blindly charging into the fray.

One major aspect of timing has to do with your rings. Some rings have their effects applied much better when they're in a certain order. Not just letting a fully Raged heal fly at half HP, but attacks as well. For instance, among the Melee attacks, there are a few rings with Knockback. You generally want to cast these ones at the end, since knocking an enemy back may cause it to get out of your range, most of the time. Other such orderings include, but are not limited to: using crowd controls then following up with Ranged attacks, throwing Buffs on before attacking, Defibbing someone with full Rage after s/he gets out of combat, etc. Experiment and see what works.

Another major point of consideration is waiting too long to do something. Staying in the middle of a deadly mob for too long would likely cause Dazing - avoid by pulling out as soon as conditions become unfavorable. Waiting too long in the middle of a patrolled area is hazardous as well, because enemies appear, regardless of how ready you are. And as with the case of the healing during battle.... it's quite impractical to fully Rage a Bandage when you're on the brink of running out of HP.

Timing increases in importance within crews as well. While soloing, you only have to worry about yourself. While in a crew, however, you've gotta pay mind to everyone else. Do not rush out and leaver everyone else behind, nor deliberately lag after everyone else. Discover the pace at which the crew runs and run along for best results.

Recap######
Look for the right times to cast specific rings.
Do not be too hasty and rush into battle not prepared adequately...
... nor take too long and miss your chance of opportunity.

###Take a breather in Real Life if you're not feeling so hot.

"Concentration is a key factor in survival. If you feel fatigue setting in, take a break from the game."

Weasel from Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel

Sure, a few consecutive hours every now and then isn't a bad thing, but it's when you start going into overtime that you need to take a breather and recover Real Life Stamina. Keeping up especially prolonged bouts of playing zOMG will result in tiredness [your mileage may vary], and all sorts of consequences can result - you make errors in judging the situation, you mess up in executing the correct ring at times, you don't react as quickly, and overall, you're just not at optimum fighting condition. In especially extreme scenarios, even death can occur. Just ask a certain player who was on another MMO for 15 days straight. So do yourself a favor by taking a well earned break from time to time.

Depending on how understanding your Crew is, a simple "Brb guys, I need a bit of a break" and a couple of minutes' downtime can suffice. Other times, you need to pull out entirely and go for a quick nap. Don't forget about the 8 hours of nightly deep sleep your body needs to repair itself, either. Rested gamers usually perform better than tired gamers.

In addition, your computer would be happy with a break as well. Unless you've got a liquid-nitrogen cooled supercomputer, chances are that zOMG would prove to be a sizable strain on the processing system. Letting the computer itself rest for a while can also cut down on glitches and errors that may pop up under prolonged gameplay.

After all, the enemies aren't going to go easy on you simply because you're tired. Why give them that extra advantage by not resting?

Recap######
Take a break from zOMG every now and then to replenish Real Life Stamina.
Rested gamers usually perform better than tired gamers.
Breaks let your computer rest and cut down on glitching.

Picture: A small image depicting part of the Animated, or the head of the player.

CL: The Charge Level of the target. The gold ring represents the full level whereas a gray ring denotes a suppressed player.

Rage Indicator: Shows how much Rage a player has in their Rage Meter. [Player Only]

Border: The color denotes the strength of the target relative to you. Five colors are used:

Purple is for targets who are quite weaker than you. Animated in these levels will ignore your presence. In an area full of these Animated, you're too strong and will not get any loot drops. Best to move on to a higher leveled area, or suppress your CL using the "Change Level" option.

Blue is for targets who are slightly weaker than you. These shouldn't be any sort of real threat to you, as you can dispatch them easily. Loot drops are less than optimal, though.

Green is for targets who are roughly the same strength as you. Actual strength can vary anywhere from mildly easy to tough. Bosses in their lairs will con Green, so exercise caution. Loot Drops are optimal when crewing with and attacking enemies in this range.

Yellow is for targets who are slightly stronger than you. It's possible for you to kill an Animated of this level, but be forewarned that it's more work than usual. As with Blue, Loot Drops are slightly less than optimal.

Red is for targets who are quite stronger than you. It's quite a good idea for you to avoid engaging these Animated, as they'll be quite formidable. If you're in an area full of these enemies, it is strongly advised to go back to a lower-leveled area. Loot Drops are few and far-in-between at this stage.

HP Meter: How many Hit Points the target has. Animated die if their count hits 0, while players get Dazed when the same occurs.

Stamina Meter: How many points of Stamina the target has. [Player Only]

Buffs and Debuffs: Icons for representing any active buffs and debuffs. Mouse-over to see the name and the rank.

Mute/Unmute Button: Used to toggle the volume of someone running Vivox VoIP. Only shows if Vivox is active. [Player Only]

Double Arrow Menu: Click to access a dropdown menu holding a variety of options depending on what the current conditions are. [Player Only]

Recrewt: Opens up the Recrewt list of possible Crewmates in an area. Only appears when uncrewed, or you are Crew Lead.

Add Ignore: Adds the selected player to your temporary Ignore listing within zOMG. Their dialog will not appear to you. Use if someone spams up your window with Talk messages. [Allies Only]

Voice Fonts: Opens up another menu of the voice fonts you have in your Inventory. Obviously, more shall appear as they're purchased. [Self Only]

Character Info: Click to access the Information screen on a player. Their avatar, username, Charge Level, Clan name [glitched at the moment], Total Charge Level, Numerical Stats, and Ringset can be seen here.

View Profile: Opens up the targeted player's profile in your internet browser, depending on your preferences. Definitely not advisable to do this during combat, especially since many people have embedded videos, playlists, and Aquarium displays in their profile, which can lag up zOMG.

###Specific Animated Behaviors

Note: Animated behaviors can overlap sometimes.

Aggressive

These Animated attack upon a target getting too close. Distance is usually an avatar-ish away, and the Animated will trail you for a good few screens before it gives up and goes back to where it once was. Aggressive is the normal behavior for most of the Animated, although a few choose to deliberately stay out of melee range.

Social

These guys like to clump together in big groups. Very often the Animated will be relatively weaker and smaller, so they group in these numbers to bolster their strength. Some of them even inflict Debuffs to make up for low attack power. They commonly move as a group unless a single member is pulled away by a good long-range attack. Otherwise, AoE attacks also do well when the whole group is attacking you. Beware of the quick respawn time these guys have.

Loner

The big bruisers of the Animated ranks, they are often found wandering independently of one another. They will attack independently as well, provided that you don't alert another one within range. Unlike the Social Animated, the Loners are much stronger individually, but only appear in few and far between numbers. Use this fact to your advantage by killing them off in succession, away from one another. Watch out for knockback from these guys.

Sentry

Commonly members of the Social Animated, they'll instead stand out by themselves or with a partner, near constricted areas. When someone gets too close, they don't attack, but rather run away. That means that they'll have a group of friends on their way - some groups will be Social and a few are even made up of Loner Animated. Get ready to throw your AoE attacks, use some Crowd Control abilities if you have any, or haul arse if conditions are unfavorable. Keep in mind that Sentries can't alert their buddies if they die first!

Passive

Animated that fit this description are "chill." They're content to sit there and idle the Gaian day away, and won't pay any mind to Gaians that leave them be. They'll still attack upon provocation, however. Some are quite weak, some are more on the strong side, and a couple are just plain tough. Make sure you know what's within your limits before attacking something that just sits there.

Recap######
Aggressive Animated attack upon getting too close. Normal behavior for most enemies.
Social Animated hang out in large groups, and are typically weaker. Fast respawn time.
Loner Animated are more spread out, and somewhat stronger. Slow respawn time.
Sentry Animated stand by themselves and run off to alert a mob when approached.
Passive Animated will ignore you until provoked. Strength varies.

###Area By Area

Note: Debuffs and other attack effects besides Knockback by the Animated are shown in [Brackets].

Waterworks

Peelungers operate solo, and will not alert their friends - except for a couple near the center of the area.
Gramsters are mainly aggressive and will occasionally notify other nearby Gramsters.

Village Greens

Lawn Gnomes keep ranks and attack in groups. The only exception are Couriers, which will roam around passively, and alone.
Pink Flamingos often act as sentries, alerting nearby groups of Gnomes. They have Knockback at their disposal.
Mushroom Turrets are stationary, and rely on their ranged attacks instead.
Lawnsharks appear for the Mini-Event, and will actively attack an area.

Bill's Ranch

Air Fluffs are passive.
Garlics generally do not attack in groups, but they will be present in bigger numbers.
Alarmskeeters operate independently, preferring to attack prey of opportunity. [Sleep]
Gruckens spawn during the Mini-Event and do not attack.

Dead Man's Pass

Laceback Bootsnakes mill around and snap at targets. [DoT]
Laceback Galoshes are stronger versions of Laceback Bootnsnakes. [DoT]
Clutches fly around and either attack or alert nearby Clutches. [Dodge]
Purses are a bit stronger than their Clutch brethren. [Dodge]
OMGs are aggressive, but are quite slow to attack.
OMFGs are more aggressive than their OMG brethren, but still quite slow. [DoT]
OMGWTF flies around and attacks enemies after the OMG waves finish. [Fear]

Zen Gardens

Kokeshi dolls stay in groups, at least two. They can throw their fans.
Kokeshi Collectibles are stronger versions of Kokeshi Dolls.
Katsumi's Kokeshi Doll is the boss of the dolls and spawns at the end of the Boss Encounter.
Cherry Fluffs are passive until provoked; they will then attempt to get close and employ kamikaze attacks, attacking a wide area with Knockback. If one should have critical HP left, it will sometimes flee, and return to attack again.
Taiko Drums do not notify other Drums directly, but will use Knockback to get their target within attention of their compatriots.
Ghost Lanterns keep in large groups, mainly their own species. Sometimes they'll hang out with groups of Drums instead. [Weight]
Purses will fly about in groups during the Mini-Event, and are aggressive.
Clutches will fly along with Purse groups in the Mini-Event, but are more passive.

Bass'ken Lake

Outlaw Pups travel in packs and will gang up on a target. [DoT]
Outlaw Wolves are slightly stronger, and sometimes lead Outlaw Pup packs. [DoT]
SheWolf appears in the Wolf Den and will aggressively attack a target.
Grass Fluffs are passive. They spawn in varying numbers upon a damaged Trash Can.
Carrion Flower Fluffs are aggressive, and also spawn in varying numbers upon a damaged Trash Can. [Footspeed]
Mother Fluff Guards will travel along with their mother. [Heal]
Mother Fluff is a large Grass Fluff that attacks in addition to seeing other Fluff aggro - this INCLUDES Carrion Flower Fluffs!
Buzz Saws attack independently, but appear in spread-out groups. Can zoom forward to attack at modest range.
Sister Saws are similar to Buzz Saws with the exception of the recolor.
Mama Saws are stronger than regular Saws. Only seen in the Saw Mill.
Papa Saw is the strongest normal Saw of all, and spawns only in the Saw Mill encounter. [Sleep]
Flying Giftboxes travel in packs of 5 around nighttime in the "Night Patrol." [Fear]
Ring Boxes will fly about until attacked.
Buzzkill spawns for the Mini-Event and attacks easier, more solitary targets. Will teleport away if damage received increases.

Old Aqueduct

Predator Prairie Pups hang out by their burrows, while others are on patrol in the woods. Cloaking renders them mainly invisible.
Predator Squad Leaders hang out by the central burrow, and are tougher than regular P3s. Cloaking renders them mainly invisible. [Heal]
The Predator Commander is the boss of the P3 force and can take quite a beating. Only appears when the Honor Guard is killed.
Tiny Terrors will spawn from the northern forest, and head south to fight against the P3s. [Accuracy]
Shockroaches appear in large numbers for the Mini-Event.
Lightning Bugs also appear in large numbers for the Mini-Event. [Heal]
Deathroaches appear in one large wave for the Mini-Event, and also use kamikaze tactics to inflict Damage to a wide area.
Walkers attack independently, and alternate between ranged and melee attacks. Only seen during the Mini-Event. [DoT]
Landstriders also attack independently, and switch between a ranged DoT attack and a melee swing with Knockback. Only seen during the Mini-Event. [DoT, Footspeed]

Hive World

Shockroaches appear in large numbers.
Lightning Bugs also appear in large numbers. [Heal]
Deathroaches start to appear in the higher Waves, and use kamikaze tactics to inflict Damage to a wide area.
Walkers attack independently, and alternate between ranged and melee attacks. [DoT]
Landstriders also attack independently, and switch between a ranged DoT attack and a melee swing with Knockback. [DoT, Footspeed]

Buccaneer Boardwalk

Anchor Bugs appear in groups but do not attack together, with the exception of Mini-Event spawns. Launches its face to cause Knockback.
Sand Castle Golems only appear during the Mini-Event and attack alongside their Anchor Bug compatriots.

Gold Beach

Sand Fluffs are passive until provoked. [Slow]
Anchor Bugs appear in groups but do not attack together. Launches its face to cause Knockback.
Sand Castle Golems are mainly solitary and attack on their own with Knockback.
Sand Servants are slightly stronger than regular Golems. [Footspeed]
Duneslam is the strongest Golem of them all and moves the slowest. Has a blue bucket helm. [Footspeed]
Water Spouts appear in loose groups and do not notify their own kind nearby. [Knockback]
Landshark is VERY aggressive and attacks an area. Roams around the beach, and disappears if not attacked. [Fear]
P3 Hunters and Trackers appear for the Mini-Event and travel in either groups or alone. Cloaking renders them mainly invisible.

Otami Ruins

Tiny Terrors appear in huge groups, and some of them act as sentries for other Tiny Terror and/or Bladed Vase groups. [Accuracy]
Tiny Witch Doctors travel with a couple Tiny Terrors in tow. [Accuracy, Speed, Heal]
Feathered Coatls hang out in groups and have Knockback attacks. [Willpower]
Bladed Vases attack independently with Knockback, unless within a group of notified Tiny Terrors. [Weight]
Masks of Death and Rebirth are mainly solitary, and stay out of Melee range. Behavior changes slightly depending on what phase they appear in.###Large Head fires off an energy blast. [Root]###Middle Head sprays a flurry of shots. [Sleep]###Small Head shoots out a plume of purple gas. [Fear]
The Stone Coatl stays stationary and changes attack patterns depending on the HP. Can spawn Feathered Coatls and Tiny Terrors. [Accuracy, then Dodge]

Shallow Seas

Barnacle Fluffs often stick to huge groups, but some prefer to be solitary. [Root]
Brain Clams attack independently, and cause Knockback with their tendrils. [Dodge]
Sea Anchor Bugs stick to groups. Moving patrols will be accompanied by a Sea Spout, while stationary groups are Anchor Bug-only. Launches its face to cause Knockback.
Sea Spouts will either travel in patrols of 4, travel with 3 Sea Anchor Bugs, or remain stationary in big groups. Some act as sentries. [Knockback]
Raidne, Aglaope, and the other Sea Spout Lieutenants are tougher and commonly travel with other Shallow Seas Animated alongside. [Heal]
Queen Lorelei is the boss of the Sea Spouts and can be differentiated by her purple face. [Sleep]

Undersea Ledge

Barnacle Fluffs are mainly solitary here. [Root]
Brain Clams attack independently, and cause Knockback with their tendrils. Groups here are bigger than the ones in Shallow Seas. [Dodge]
Sea Anchor Bugs stick to groups. Launches its face to cause Knockback.
Grunny Subs will swim off and notify other subs upon seeing a target. Fires torpedoes which cause Knockback.

A favorite of most people, this is one style that gets the job done relatively quick. Melee is home to the hardest hitting rings, and some of them are quite Stamina efficient as well. The only downside is that you need to be within point-blank distance to conduct your assault. Good ideas would be to increase your Footspeed to get the first hit in on the enemies before they can land a hit in return, or don a few other Buffs to slow the rate of HP you lose to counterattacks, since just about any Animated can attack at close range.

Melee combat is effective against the larger, loner Animated. They're wide open to attack since they're found relatively few and far in between, the high attack power of Melee range rings compensates for their higher HP counts, and often you can get away without alerting nearby enemies of the same type. Mobs of smaller Animated aren't too much of a threat either if you're packing close combat AoE rings - pump some Rage in them for better results, or you can buttonmash single-target Melee rings along with Enemy selection [the Tilde key] at the cost of increased Stamina usage.

This style utterly fails when you can't move in to attack quickly or at all, whether by Animated ability, debuffs and/or by battlefield effect. Enemies who have habits of flying all over the place or running fast tend to zip out of Melee range often, so you'll have a hard time hitting them. Same goes for the land being separated into sections, limiting movement. Sometimes you can get away with attacking across the boundaries, but more often than not you'll find yourself out of range. In addition, a few Animated limit your own movement, whether it's slowing down your speed or plain rooting you in place. Be extra cautious when this happens, since you take increased attacks by timing, and you can't retreat as effectively either!

Recap######
Melee combat dishes out the highest Damage numbers on a single target.
Remember to don protective buffs since enemies can counterattack.
Exercise increased caution against Animated that limit your movement!

###Sniper

Pro: Attack with less chance of collateral damageCon: Best against single enemy and not a mob

While not as hard-hitting as Melee is, Ranged makes up for it in well, range. Rings here hit enemies quite a distance removed from your location, and only a few Animated can return fire. The Sniper here has more options to tinker with: increasing Accuracy to both ensure the attack hits plus an increase chance of Critical, using a Crowd Control ring to slow down or send the enemy into a panic for longer sniping opportunity, don a Defense buff or two if you expect rough battles ahead, and more.

Sniping is excellent on terrains that are broken up, and directed at enemies who attack at Melee range - they'll have to get close to you instead, and by the time they get there, they'll be quite low on HP, if not dead already. Even if the enemy can attack at range too, you'll at least have your own ranged attacks to return. Sniping the Loner Animated works as well, but there's the bigger HP counts to consider. Of course, staying out of immobile enemy range and pestering them with Damage can also be fun, as well.

Mobs of Animated are anywhere from an annoyance to a threat when playing Sniper. Most of the better Ranged rings are single-target only, and only a few turn into AoE attacks when Raged. By the time you kill off one enemy, chances are a few more will have popped up to take its place. Enemies who can heal each other also prove to be annoying, since it'll take a while to vanquish them.

Recap######
Hit enemies far away and avoid damage in return!
Increase Accuracy for more firepower, and use Crowd Control to extend sniping opportunity.
Beware of mobs and healing enemies who'll overrun you before they're taken out!

###Brawler

Pro: Attacks multiple enemies at onceCon: High amounts of damage taken

The objective here is to use AoE attacks to inflict damage on a wide swath of enemies, often times as a countermeasure to mobbing. Wielders of this style are top-notch at kicking a bunch of yellow damage numbers out of enemies and killing a bunch of Animated at once.

AoEs are divided into two main types, immediate area and Point & Click abilities. Immediate area relies on a simple ring cast to inflict damage on the area around your avatar. These are best used while in the middle of a mob, so the attack radius encompasses the enemies around. On the other hand, Point & Click attacks an area from a distance away. These rings are better used for getting the first hit on a mob while you're out in the clear, since they generally attack debuffs to their targets. In addition, due to the high numbers of counterattack damage, Brawlers need to be especially cautious with their HP count - for best results, don defensive Buffs and Rage a Bandage so the healing over time slows down incoming damage.

However, for all the rear-kicking this style does, two main things stand out. First, AoE attacks hit one enemy for small to moderate damage. This is because the intensity of the attack is spread out over an area, instead of concentrated into a single attack like single-target Melee rings are. The same holds true for Stamina as well. Often, a full bar of Stamina is needed to wipe out a moderate to big mob [ignoring Rage, that is], so combat needs to be punctuated by little periods of Rest and Rejuvenation. Otherwise you'll be heading into the fight with less Stamina than you need, and that's never a good thing.

Recap######
Rack up a mob, stand in the middle and let the AoE attacks fly!
Fling an AoE attack to debuff and mop up with surrounding AoE damage.
Best to hide and recover to full HP and stamina before engaging the next mob.

###Hit and Run

Pro: Avoids lots of DamageCon: Less effective against stronger enemies

Ah yes, good ol' Guerrilla tactics - the practice of appearing suddenly, striking with great force and/or intensity, and returning back to hiding as soon as possible. If pulled off smoothly, you can avoid quite a bit of damage dealt in return.

One of the important things to know when playing this style is the 'art' of sneaking around. Lurking around where Animated won't notice or attack you enables you to get places without engaging any surprise enemies. This is important to save your Stamina until engaging the target, for killing off said target quickly. High attack-value rings, like Hack, usually do better with this use, but you may get it to work just as well, if not better with other rings. Should things not go as planned, have methods of escape ready - things like extra Footspeed for making tactical retreats, running back to certain safe screens, and perhaps even bringing defense buffs like Turtle for especially sticky situations.

while Hit and Run is great for slicing up weaker enemies in succession, its success is limited to two factors: how fast an enemy can be killed, and the amounts of rest the player can get. This style of combat is just fine for killing the smaller Animated, but bigger ones may prove to be too much, as they require more effort to kill, slowing up the flow of battle. Other Animated may also accomplish this by debuffs, or healing itself or its comrades, demanding even *more* Stamina to kill the target. In addition, having good amounts of Stamina is critical - hence, a person using this style needs to rest and regain Stamina to take out the next target, but only when there is a spot that's safe. Roving patrols are a threat since they lessen the chances of rest.

Recap######
Sneak around, attack hard, retreat fast. Then rinse and repeat.
Have backup plans to escape, like increasing Footspeed or bringing Turtle, when things get dicey.
Seek out safe spots where you can rest and regain Stamina.

###Heavy Armor

Pro: Plenty of Buffs to provide Advantages in combatCon: Buff rings may overtake attack and other rings

Buff rings can be found aplenty on these people, and for good reason - these rings' effects usually make players less susceptible to damage [barring the 3x multiplier incurred by kneeling], or by increasing a certain Stat to modify the battle outcome. Damage prevention is done by one of many methods: reducing the Damage taken, occasionally nullifying attacks, or even reflecting them back on the attacker.

Ringsets usually consist of one healing ring [Bandage is recommended when soloing], one to two attack rings, and the rest being Buffs. Mix and match Buff effects and see what works best to your advantage, or stack similar buffs as a measure of insurance. Go about combat by donning Buffs beforehand at RR1. Take your time and engage enemies one by one, gradually building Rage. When you get a full Rage meter, pump it into the most appropriate Buff and repeat. Do so until all the Buffs you carry are fully Raged, and then you can go on the offensive. Opt for Stamina-efficient rings, as they cool down quicker and comsume less Stamina so you can cast your buffs.

Having plenty of Buffs on is always a good thing, however... be wary of mobbing, as your Buffs can only prevent so much damage over an extended timeframe. As for killing them off, you'll be hard pressed to take out the entire mob with the low number of attack rings you have equipped, not to mention the single healing ring [some of you might go for two] you have with you. Just know your limitations - gauge whether or not you can come out the victor, and act accordingly. Also, this style takes quite a while to get warmed up to optimum combat effectiveness, which is having all handy buffs at full Rage. Until then, play defensively and you'll be safe.

Recap######
Ringsets commonly consist of one or two attack rings, a healing ring, and Buffs.
Gradually pick off enemies to build Rage, and load up on RR4 Buffs for optimal performance.
Know your limitations and avoid mobs that are too big.

###Can't Catch This

Pro: Useful when mobbed and/or low on StaminaCon: Requires open area to run effectively

This little tactic comes in handy when the odds aren't in your favor, and you're left with a little bit of Stamina left. Simply drop everything and run around the screen - the Animated attacking you will follow. Select one of them and quickly fire off a ring while running. You'll avoid lots of damage by running out of their range.

It's highly advisable to be in an open area free of barriers - smaller areas are still okay to run around in, but the chance of getting caught in place for more than a second is more likely. You could try to compensate by packing Footspeed buffs, and even employing rings with Knockback [like Bump and Dervish] to increase the distance between you and the Animated that are hot on your tail. If the mob following you catches up too easily, try out a Crowd Control ring like Quicksand to slow them up. In addition, since you'll be relying on this tactic quite often when you're low on Stamina, it's a good idea [albeit always] to have a fully Raged Divinity active.

It may seem simple when reading about this, but in practice it requires some finesse. For one, the mob in question can't be too powerful relative to you, else you'll get done in quite quickly.... or it'll take a really long time to fend all of them off. Having low Stamina is also quite risky as well, and more so with higher-level Animated.

Recap######
Avoid counter damage by running around and staying out of enemy range.
Footspeed increases, Knockback effects and Crowd Control can help further the distance.
Stick to wide open areas to avoid running into obstacles.

###All-Purpose

Pro: Good for most situationsCon: Tends to fall short when specific rings are needed

The idea here is to be as well-rounded as you can be, by packing a variety of rings. This style can adapt to nearly everything, and there's a ring suited to most scenarios that pop up. To fight effectively, see what you've got in front of you and use the appropriate rings to deal with the situation at hand.

Ringsets commonly sport a Melee ring, a Ranged ring, a healing ring, an AoE attack ring, one to several buffs, probably Defib, perhaps Divinity, sometimes Meat, there are players that will have a Crowd Control ring on them. Using the appropriate ring at the right time will ensure that you get the most effect out of your rings while being Stamina efficient. To do this, use each ring wisely and switch between them seamlessly. Lead off with the ranged ring, fight back with the Melee ring, heal whenever possible, and cast the AoE when you're surrounded, for example.

Just remember the old adage of "Jack of All Trades, Master of None." While all the bases are more or less covered here, you won't be able to fight as effectively when you find yourself relying on one ring too often. The effects compound here, as you will have to deal with cooldown if you rely on one ring too much. Be cautious around enemies that require a specialized strategy.

Recap######
Different types of rings represent different purposes within a Ringset.
Use the Ring with the best effect in response to the situation you're in.
Exercise caution around enemies that require a specialized method of attack.

Pro: Work is divided up into rolesCon: Dependent on everyone being present and fulfilling their assigned role

The crew here involves everyone having a specific role assigned to them. General roles usually consist of having some sort of tank, a healer, one person that keeps track of buffs, and such. If there exists a need, someone could call the role of Crowd Control. Of course, there aren't enough healing or Crowd Control rings, so they commonly take over a few buffs as well.

The tanks head in first and are the main damage dealers - they get tons of damage in return, so they'll need buffs to compensate, and when the damage exceeds that threshold, the healers set about righting the situation, healing the tanks so they can keep dealing damage and eventually kill off any enemies that are still attacking. All throughout this fracas, the buffers will be taking potshots at the enemies to build up Rage, and applying Buffs at full Rage wherever they see fit. Everyone works together towards a common goal by working together on different assignments.

Of course, that's when everyone's doing their job. Crew members who don't follow orders and do their own stuff can certainly throw sand in the gears, and there's always the chance of mistakes. In addition, the crew after one or two people leave is faced with a bigger amount of work to deal with, depending on what role is now missing. A crew full of tanks won't get very far without the one healer keeping everyone alive, now would they?

Recap######
Assign each person a specialized role so they can bring the right rings.
Make sure there are no disagreements before the Crew takes on the mission objective.
Aim for the completion of the mission before people leave, to avoid having increased workloads.

###Everyone for Everyone

Pro: Crew full of All-Purpose ringsets to take on almost anythingCon: Frequent resting breaks are needed

On the other end of the spectrum, this Crew setup features people with All-Purpose ringsets, albeit with variations to include most, if not all of the useful Buffs. The end sum is a good amount of all three types of rings [Attack, Heal, Buff] with a couple people wielding Crowd Control rings, depending on the situation - and should one person leave, the work can be distributed equally amongst the remaining crew members.

When fighting, the crew charges in as one unit. Attack rings are flung with a high rate so mobs are quickly torn to pieces, depending on the enemy conditions in play. If things get slightly out of hand, everyone's got healing rings on so damage should be reversed quickly. There's also the variety of Buffs along for the ride to staunch the damage some too. In short: Everyone attacks, everyone heals, everyone is happy.

Everyone needs to take a break for Stamina, too. Just hope your Crew doesn't get ambushed in these short periods of vulnerability, where nearly everyone is in need of some rest. Cut down on this by having 2 or more people bring Divinity, in case the person with it goes offline. As always, make sure everyone's pulling their own weight and helping out, too.

Recap######
A crew full of All-Purpose builds to take on nearly anything.
You do your part for the Crew, and the Crew shall take care of you.
Take breaks to replenish Stamina, so bring along copies of Divinity and watch out for patrols.

###Substitution

Pro: Continuous offense by replacing tanksCon: Active fighters are charged with keeping the rest of the Crew safe

Here, a fraction of the team is out fighting while the rest of the Crew members are preparing to take the place of anyone who bows out of the main combat. This way, there's player rotation - directly avoiding the scenario of most of the Crew members needing time to regenerate Stamina.

Say this tactic is being used by a full crew of six. Have 2 people dedicated to healing and buffs, and the rest be tanks. At any given time, only 2 people will be fighting and keeping enemies away from the rest of the crew. Ideally the location will be at a bottleneck area where 2 people are enough to stop Animated in their tracks. When a tank is out of stamina, s/he switches positions with another who will remove any Animated who are attacking the first tank, thus keeping up the offense. The healers do their job by healing both the resting and active tanks. If there's less people in your Crew, adjust the roles as necessary.

However, it is best to have at least 4 people Crewed for this - any less and your Crew might be a bit short on players to make this tactic work effectively. There'd be a shortage of either healers or tanks, and a Crew needs both for this to work out. Also, the crew needs to be holed up in a little nook somewhere, where the healers can be easily defended. Two people aren't always enough to protect 4 other people in a wide-open area. The healers could last for a while if enemies manage to break through, but that's about it. Lastly, problems arise when in a Boss encounter and the boss has zeroed in on a single player, and nothing shakes it off the target. The unlucky player can't exactly kneel down to rest, or s/he's out by Dazing.

Recap######
Hole up in a nook somewhere where the Healers and replacement tanks are easily defended.
Active tanks go and rest, while the Replacement tanks switch with them, keeping everyone protected.
It is key that the active tanks keep the Aggro on themselves and no one else.

###Bait and Switch

Pro: Bulk of damage is confined to one personCon: Bait must keep Aggro for success [varies on scenario]

The Mongolian Huns' tactic of choice, this involves sending a small force [in this case, one player] to be bait. S/he gets the attention of the enemy forces, who decide to trail said bait only to be met with a hostile welcoming party, where frenzied combat takes place.

Due to the high numbers of enemy concentration after a successful trawling, this tactic is ideal for farming, so long as the crew isn't pushed past its limits. The Bait needs to survive the run, too - have him/her loaded up on protective Buffs [if the whole crew isn't already] before engaging the enemy ranks. Upon returning, it would be wise for the rest of the Crew to let fully Raged AoE attacks fly, softening up the mob. More Rage will be had by mopping up whatever's left. Rinse and repeat when the crew's in good standing [good HP counts, more than 75 Stamina each, roughly]. This can be applied to a Boss fight as well, just make sure the bait can withstand the barrage of attacks from said Boss. Keep the Buffs going strong and the Aggro centered on the bait. The rest of the crew can stand and fire Ranged attacks, and heal the Bait with Wish or Bandage - Diagnose will only serve to steal the Aggro away from the Bait and on to the Diagnose caster!

If the Aggro hops on to someone other than the bait, either s/he's now bait or the Crew will undoubtedly require a different tactic to employ. Often the new bait will struggle to stay alive, Daze, and the cycle repeats until a Crew wipe happens. So don't let the chain happen and keep everyone alive. As for pulling mobs, avoid doing so when the Crew needs to heal up and rest - trawling yet another mob in while the Crew is in this lackluster state is ill-advised.

Recap######
KEEP THE BAIT ALIVE!
Aggro needs to be centered on the Bait.
Pay attention to the Crew's Stamina levels!

###Nest Cover

Pro: Crew keeps together making healing access easyCon: Requires a high amount of Crew coordination

When in doubt, stick together and swarm the enemy. Your buddies will be nearby, so healing and Buffs are within reach, so whatever's attacking you will have to put up with counterattacks from everyone else as well.

First off everyone in crew needs to be close together. The Crew moves as a single unit, overwhelming what it targets. Only a select few Animated can stand the heat that multiple players put off, but only if everyone's attacking the same exact target. If someone receives more damage than the rest of the crew members, the Crew focuses its healing on the member in question, and proceeds to focus its offensive on another target. Basically, focus the crew's efforts on one target at a time while banding together. There is strength in numbers, you see.

A simple tactic in theory, but in practice it's quite difficult to pull off, especially with random people. The Crew Leader has to direct and manage the Crew's movements, and things just get harder the more people there are. There's always the chance that a crew member will go their own way - be sure to deal with this before anything bad happens. Otherwise the only things that can overpower this tactic is the existence of a really tough enemy, like a Boss that deals much damage. Another thing to watch out for is the Fear effect of Hornet's Nest - while shooing enemies away is normally a good thing, this can get in the way of eliminating enemies quickly. Be sure to plan ahead in case things don't work as planned.

Recap######
Stick together so healing is easier.
Move as one, attack as one.
Deal with any dissident crew members before problems arise.

One of the best things to chance upon if you're sick and tired of farming away at Animated constantly. Orb spills operate on the same mechanism as the Easter Event - random harmless items spawn out of thin air, usually in hard to see locations, and it's the Gaians' job to attack them for rewards. Unlike the Eggs, however, Charge Orbs spawn instead. Once struck, an Orb yields the very same number as the CL Cap for the area. 2 Orbs for Village Greens and Barton Town, all the way to 8 Orbs a pop in Otami Ruins. Orbs will continually spawn as they're struck down for 15 minutes.

However, the Mini-Event is made complicated with a 'first shot, first served' basis. Whoever lands the hit on the Charge Orb first will reap the rewards. Therefore, it would be in your best interests to use a reliable and speedy Ranged Ring [Solar Rays works quite well, and Hunters' Bow comes in at a close second] to hit the Orb, plus Footspeed increases [Coyote Spirit + Fleet Feet + Medic Set] to cover more area, and generally, learning where the orbs usually spawn combined with selecting them and attacking as quickly as possible. Optionally, both types of AoE attack can come in handy for either not having to deal with targeting, or hitting Orbs in certain "unclickable" areaslike the Hive World Portal, Sabin =P. Keep in mind you cannot select an Orb by the Tilde key.

As a side note, the Orbs behave like Animated in the sense that their drops are shared amongst a crew provided all of you stay on the same screen. Plan your travel route wisely.

Recap######
Fast Ranged rings and Footspeed increases for maximum damage.
Orb grants are on a 'first shot, first served' basis!
Crew up so that you and your companions get orbs while on the same screen!

Borne out of the epic shenanigans of April Fools' Day 2009, the AirShark has returned to wreak havoc on Barton Town! It comes armed with bombs that explode and damage an area, and from those bombs spawn Sky Boxes.

However, you cannot attack Airshark directly [game script says your weak attacks simply bounce off its Armor - it DOES con Red, after all]. You CAN attack the Sky Boxes, though - good since they'll start attacking any appropriate target that wanders too close. These boxes, like their relatives in Bass'ken, also swarm in groups of 3-5, as well.

Each Box, when defeated, yields 70 points maximum. Points are distributed on the Hate that you gather, and how many people a particular Box hates. AoE attacks are perfect for the job here. As for Airshark itself, it follows a path that loops around Barton, dropping bombs at regular intervals. Trail the Airshark to attack as many Boxes as you can, but don't forget to heal when necessary.

Recap######
Sky Boxes pop out from the AoE damage of Airshark Bombs.
Counter with your own AoE attacks to hit lots of Boxes.
Trail Airshark's path around Barton to kill more Sky Boxes.

Three of them, to be exact. Two in the northern Greens and one in the deep south. Open up your PDA in zOMG and their relative locations will show up. Be careful however, the marked locations lag a little so don't get caught off-guard.

The Sharks look like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a mechanical push-driven lawnmower. They generally roam their own area, and will follow a target into the other Sharks' areas, until a certain range. In addition, if you happen to be getting low on HP, there are also some safe screens hidden within this area - Remo's screen is one such safe spot. Get back to these areas quickly to heal up and get back in the fight.

If you encounter some trouble going up against these baddies, you can rally fellow Gaians to join in the fight - it is an area-wide Mini-Event, after all. In addition, if you're lucky enough to come across a Crowd Control ring that limits an enemy's movement, sic it on the nearest Lawnshark, and run circles around it while pelting it with ranged attacks. This is commonly known as kiting. Rinse and repeat as necessary for the other Lawnsharks.

Recap######
There is strength in numbers. Gang up on a Shark.
Crowd Controls that limit movement are win here.
Remember that you can retreat to safe screens momentarily.

###Grucken Chuckin' in Bill's Ranch

Mission: Catch the Gruckens and throw them down the well.Time: 20 minutesCL Cap: NoneSpawns:

Grucken

You read right, there is no CL Cap for this Mini Event. Why? No combat is involved, and the Gruckens don't attack anyway. It's up to you to grab as many Gruckens as you can and throw them down the well a little bit north of the Null Chamber - this point will be marked by a Green Arrow on your PDA map. Oh, and the green buggers will only appear inside of the Ranch itself, and not in the outside grassy areas where other Animated roam.

Despite it sounding like a walk in the park, it can be absolutely frustrating to some [me included]. The Gruckens are already quite speedy, and they zigzag around, changing directions. Obstacles are also present in the form of cows out and about. What's a Gaian to do? For one, increasing your Footspeed allows you to move quicker, so clicking on a Grucken has a higher rate of success. Otherwise, train your reaction time and your reflexes so you can spot where one goes next.

More Gruckens can only be spawned when existing Gruckens are disposed of. Avoid clicking more than once on a Grucken before catching, as it'll cause the Grucken to disappear, to prevent exploits from auto-clicking scripts.

Recap######
Click on a Grucken to grab, and throw down the well.
More will spawn as the already existing ones are disposed of.
Increase Footspeed for better chances of catching a Grucken.

###Deadman Spies in Zen Gardens

Mission: Defeat the Clutch Spies.CL Cap: 4.0Spawns:

Clutch Spy
Purse Spy

Clutches sent by Zhivago are flying around Zen Gardens, seeking out intel - your job is to counter this threat via a search and destroy Mini Event.

The Clutch Spies look exactly the same as do Clutches and Purses in Dead Man's Pass. These ones travel in groups, though - three normal Clutches and a lead Purse fly around, unless another Gaian has taken out part of said group. The spies mainly fly around the areas of the bridges, nearby the Wish Tree, and in front of the gates to the Shrine. Some people choose to camp in these areas instead. This can work too, provided the Clutch Spies pass by regularly.

Naturally, a boost to Footspeed will assist in the Searching aspect of this Mini-Event, if you choose to go on roving patrol instead. As for Destroy, it'll be easier to kill the Clutches as they will attack given provocation or close enough distance. The Purses avoid combat until attacked, however - use fast Ranged rings to keep hold of these enemies. Both types of Animated can prove hard to hit, so bringing along Accuracy buffs is always a welcome idea in this encounter. The event ends when every Clutch Spy has either been killed or has successfully reached their safe spot.

Recap######
Seek out and terminate the Clutch Spies flying around.
The Three Bridges, the Wish Tree, and the Shrine Gates are their spying targets.
Boost Footspeed and bring fast Ranged attacks.

###BuzzKill! in Bass'ken Lake

Mission: Defeat BuzzKill.CL Cap: 5.0Spawns:

BuzzKill

As if Papa Saw wasn't a bad enough Saw for you, here comes another variant - BuzzKill spins around horizontally on a screw, and it just so happens that its blades match up with an average Gaian's neck height. As if it wasn't dangerous enough, it can teleport to other places at will, often attacking prey of opportunity.

Here you and everyone else in the immediate area are assigned the task of defeating this monstrosity. Immediate area is used since you can't exactly rally friends in other layers, since BuzzKill nullifies friend teleportation between layers. Use the PDA Map to track its location as best as you can, since it'll teleport to and fro quite a lot. Remember that there is strength in numbers, so mob BuzzKill with everything you've got.

Since BuzzKill teleports away when hurt too much, you've got to chase after it. Speed buffs are definitely quite nice to have, as well as defensive enhancements. Not only does it slow BuzzKill's damage, but they could very well save you from the aggro of other enemies in Bass'ken Lake. As always, keep an eye on your HP, and don't hesitate in retreating temporarily should things get dicey.

Since Mini-Events trigger when there are lots of people in an area, BuzzKill often shows up along with the 9pm Night Patrol of Giftboxes and their hunters.

Recap######
Chase after BuzzKill after it teleports away!
Bring Speed and Defense buffs!
Mob BuzzKill and grind its HP down.

###Bug Breakout in Old Aqueduct

Mission: Defeat 100 Aliens.Time: 30 minutesCL Cap: 6.0Spawns:

Shockroach
Lightning Bug
Deathroach
Walker
Landstrider

Hive World has announced a counterattack on the Old Aqueduct in response to the Gaians that keep invading through the Star Portal - your mission is to fight back against these invaders and kill off 100 of them to repel their own invasion.

The brunt of the fight here is where the Star Portal is. Hive World aliens will spawn en masse from here, and slowly spread out to attack anything and everything they come in contact with, whether it's P3 or Gaian. The key here is to listen to Agent Caruthers - he'll let the area know what's happening, so you can coordinate tactics with everyone else in the area.

When he mentions GiB sensor readings spiking, take cover! A wave of Deathroaches will pop out, decimating whatever they're targeting in a large kamikaze attack. Don as many protective buffs as you can here to avoid getting Dazed. Afterwards, Hive World sends out another force of Shockroaches, Lightning Bugs, Walkers, and Landstriders in a one-two offensive. Since the enemies are tightly packed together here, let loose with AoE attacks to rough them up.

The aliens will then fan out - pursue them, minding the rest of the Old Aqueduct enemies. Pay attention to any fights that break out between the Hive World aliens and the P3s - it's your cue to pick off the weakened Aliens and hopefully get away from the P3s once they decide to attack you instead. Ranged rings do well for this phase, but feel free to sweep the area with what works for you.

A while later, Caruthers will announce the aliens heading back to the portal. That's just what they'll do, so head back to where the portal is and mop up the injured aliens before they hop on the portal and warp back to their world for maintenance. For best results, combine AoE attacks and rooting Crowd Control to prevent their escape.

This cycle repeats until victory is achieved by the remains of 100 defeated aliens, or the Mini-Event has failed by taking too long to accomplish the objective.

A set of Buccaneer Boardwalk's mascot plushies [Kiki Kitty] have come to live by Ghi lifeforce, and the Animated are kidnapping and holding them hostage! This sure can't be good publicity. It's up to you to kill off the captors and rusk Kiki plushies to safety!

Kiki and a set of three Anchor Bugs and a Sand Castle Golem will spawn at randomized locations in the area, 2 at a time. Once someone gets close, the 4 Animated will give chase. Kill them off so that someone can snatch poor Kiki and take her back to Butterfingers Bart. The exact location is marked by a green arrow on the PDA Map, all the way to the far east side of the area.

Excellent player coordination is the order of the day here. Have some people focus on killing the captors, some clear up the naturally spawning Animated, one or two people running back and forth to rescue Kiki, and maybe a couple more people to ensure that the Rescuer reaches his/her destination safely. All these roles are needed to ensure the operations here go as quickly and efficiently as possible, since a total of five Kiki plushies need to be rescued every 4 minutes in order for the Event here to be a success.

In addition, it doesn't matter who's the Rescuer so long as Kiki gets rescued. The anti-click spam measures in the Grucken event also apply here, so avoid doing so.

Recap######
Kill off the 3 Anchor Bugs and Sand Castle Golem.
Rescue Kiki by taking her back to Butterfingers Bart's gate!
Coordinate the players present for optimum efficiency!

###P3 Trophy Hunting in Gold Beach

Mission: Defeat all 100 P3 Raiders.Time: 20 minutesCL Cap: 7.0Spawns:

P3 Hunter
P3 Tracker

Another search and destroy type Mini-Event similar to the one in Zen Gardens. This time it's the P3s getting ambitious and invading Gold Beach, attacking anything in sight.

The patrols here are a bit more varied: sometimes a whole convoy of P3s will march together, while other times a lone P3 will engage targets. Remember that while their Invisibility cloak makes them hard to see, the sand of Gold Beach lowers the effectiveness by a good bit. Feel free to engage the Raiders if you think you have enough power, or look for P3s who have already engaged the naturally spawning Animated and get a hit in before they die. Beware of the P3 Hunters though, as they have over twice the HP of the P3 Trackers; they have the white color scheme accordingly.

As with the search and destroy Mini-Events, it's a good idea to have Footspeed increasing buffs for the searching. If you feel you can't hold your own when searching the northern sands, try sniping P3s around the Sand Fluffs. A single target Ranged ring will kill P3s who have attacked the Fluffs, and *not* get said Fluffs aggroed at you. Otherwise, camp out at the entrance to the Old Aqueduct, as well as the grassy areas nearby the Null Chamber. These two locations provide plentiful chances to attack the P3s without the hassle of dealing with the present Animated.

Recap######
Bring Speed buffs to cover more ground.
Camp nearby the Null Chamber and the entrance to Old Aqueduct, or...
Snipe damaged P3s around the Sand Fluffs with a single-target Ranged ring.

The Otami Ruins Animated have built pyres to somehow leech energy from the Spirits of the indigenous people here. Your mission is to put these flames out... by killing the Animated nearby.

There are 4 Pyres in all: Ground, Pad, Ledge, and Waterfall. Their locations and status [whether they're lit or not] are marked in the PDA Map. To start the process of dousing a Pyre, walk up to the flame and rally several people to do the same. Enough people appear and a timer set to 1 minute shows - this is how much time you and anyone else in the present screen have to kill off the Animated here. If there are no Animated on the screen when the 1 minute timer runs out, then the Pyre will extinguish.

To keep it unlit, defend the Pyre by killing off the spawn that tries to reclaim it before too many of them get close. If this happens, the 1 minute timer returns and you have to repeat the process or else the Pyre relights. To start up the dousing process again, have people walk a decent space away, and re-converge on the Pyre itself, killing anything that stands in the way.

Due to the sheer numbers that you'll be facing here, you and everyone else participating in the event need to be ready for sustained combat, ESPECIALLY at the Ground Pyre. [You may want to attempt the other Pyres beforehand.] Excellent player coordination is an absolute MUST. AoE attacks work well against the large mobs here, and a fully Raged Divinity is especially helpful for regaining Stamina faster. Once the dousing timer has started, start by killing off the enemies that appear to build up Rage. Keep this up for 30 seconds, and use the remaining time to launch the brunt of the counterattack. Let loose Raged attacks so that no enemy is left when the 1 minute timer runs out.

And as a special note, avoid avoid AVOID going in between the torches at the Ground Pyre. This willl cause a bunch of non-Event Terrors to spawn, adding to the stress on the players defending the Pyre there.

Recap######
AoE attacks and RR4 Divinity will see you through sustained combat here.
Push harder during the last 30 seconds of dousing to ensure no enemy stands.
Do NOT cross between the torches near the Ground Pyre, lest additional Terrors spawn.

The Headquarters is the big Purple Mushroom House deep in the southwestern part of the Village Greens. Watch out for Mushroom Cannon fire on your way there.

Initially, there will be groups of Animated onscreen: 2 Flamingos in the northeast, and 4 Gnomes in the northwest. The Flamingos will act as sentries, running over and alerting the Gnomes of any trespassers. Take out these 'guards' to gain access into the General's lair. If you and your Crew can take the strain, there are several Adjutants hanging around in the screen below for extra Rage; otherwise beware of pulling them into the fight.

The General will be taking it easy in the far end of the room - there will be two additional Mushroom Cannons if you are playing on Hard difficulty. Do not focus your attacks on these, for they will be deflected and you will get knocked back in return if you attack the General himself before he formally engages in the fight. Instead, attack the waves of normal Gnomes and Adjutants that come in behind you. If on Hard Difficulty, the Cannons will attack you intermittently - this is their window of vulnerability too, so make sure to attack these when you can. Otherwise they will continue to attack you. Make sure to keep people healed with Bandage, Diagnose, and Wish. Finally, the General himself gets off his rear and attacks, without additional waves pouring in - dispatch him to end the encounter.

Recap######
Kill the 2 Flamingoes and 4 Gnomes outside to gain access.
Avoid attacking the General, and the Cannons when they're inactive - you'll be wasting Stamina.
Deal with the waves and keep everyone who's fighting healed up before they get Dazed.

###The House on the Hill feat. OMGWTF

Welcome to your first Instanced area, Dead Man's Pass. Here, only yourself and your Crewmates are present, so don't expect help from passers-by... because there are none to speak of. Make your way past the groups of Bootsnakes, Clutches and OMGs, and head up on the stairs in the middle of the area when you've raided the crate for loot.

The end of the trail is marked by a black metal Gate. Before this are 4 OMGs, so take them out. Once everyone's rested up, have one person approach the gate to start triggering waves of OMG Spawns. Several waves will come at you, with the first only having 2 enemies, and subsequent waves will steadily increase the number up to 4. Kill these off quickly and resume resting after a wave has gone down. Make sure no one is kneeling when a wave appears.

After the several waves have passed, the OMGWTF will appear. It's a flying Animated, so it moves about with ease and has higher evasion to boot. Its attacks fairly hurt as well, so have the proper healing rings and maybe even a dedicated Healer ready. Ranged attacks tend to fare better here than Melee rings. If someone has buff rings, use these too. Keep up the offensive and the OMGWTF will go down eventually.

Recap######
Approach the Mansion Gate to trigger the OMG waves.
Kill off OMGs quickly to allow more time for healing.
Heal and buff during battle as necessary.

###Kokeshi Grove feat. Katsumi's Kokeshi Doll

To get to this place, head to the southeast corner of Zen Gardens. The screen directly left of what is supposed to be the corner in a rectangular area is the entrance to KKD's lair, marked by another Torii gate similar to the one in front of the shrine. To get inside, however, you must defeat the two Kokeshi Collectibles that are outside - there are two each of Kokeshi Dolls and Cherry Fluffs as well, should you need additional Rage. Once they are out, feel free to head inside.

Once in the instance, the fight will not start quite yet. The trigger to starting up the battle is when one person crosses an imaginary line about 1/3rd from the edge of the playing screen. A Kokeshi Collectible will spawn, saying something about how Naturals must not Be - take it out. After this will be wave after wave of Kokeshi Dolls, their Collectible counterparts, and specific Cherry Fluffs - they are named Kill [Username]!, where the username in question is their target. Try and concentrate on minimizing the threat that the Fluffs pose, as their attack does affect more than one person. DoT, Armor and Dodge buffs are your best bet against these guys. Running away and having the Cherry Fluff explode away from crew is another idea, but do know what you're doing lest you go down while all by yourself.

Sooner or later KKD will appear. At this point, the number of Animated spawn decreases, except for the Cherry Fluffs. Keep on picking off the fluffs so that the rest of the crew can focus on killing the boss. AoE attacks are quite handy, too, as waves will spawn bountiful numbers of Animated.

Recap######
Kill the guards outside the gate to gain entry into the Lair.
Minimize the threat the Cherry Fluffs pose - their attacks HURT if not prepared.
Have most of the crew focus on killing KKD.

###The Battle of the Bridges feat. Kokeshi, Taiko, and Lantern Nexii

The three bridges of Zen Gardens are the scene for this triple showdown. However, there is an order to things here. Once you have the quest, simply walk up to the east bridge from the south. The Kokeshi Nexus will appear here, in the middle of the bridge - it's colored the same as its Collectible sisters. Alongside are two regular Kokeshi Dolls. The Kokeshi Nexus is fairly easy to solo, and having other people along makes it even easier. Don't forget to mop up the other dolls as well. If you run into problems, it's a good idea to either rethink your tactics, or level up some more.

Once you've healed up, head on over to the middle of the west bridge, made of stone. The Taiko Drum Nexus will appear from the grassy area above the bridge, with two of its normal Taiko Drum cronies in tow. The Nexus itself will appear as a brown, age-worn recolor of the Taiko Drum. Instead of running over to greet it, let the Drums come to the middle of the bridge instead: the narrow space of the bridge works to your favor, since the Drums' knockback ability cannot throw you in the water [which is a good thing] which enables you to hit it with attacks more often. Unlike the previous boss, the Nexus here is decently formidable. Gang up on it and kill it off quickly.

This time around, check the Gaia Standard Time. You guessed it - a stronger version of the Ghost Lanterns is going to be happy to see you. As with the other Lanterns, however, it only appears at night, which is 6:15pm GST up until 6:45am GST. Feel free to kill some time if you happen to find yourself in the middle of daylight. Once it's dark out, cross the center bridge from the northeast and find the Ghost Lantern Nexus, marked by its red color, and two of its companions. The Nexus here is a notch or two above the Drum Nexus, so be prepared with a good crew. It'll hopefully go down quickly.

Recap######
East bridge, West bridge, Center Bridge. Kokeshi, Drum, and Lantern Nexii, respectively.
Remember that bridges are narrow and limit knockback abilities.
Rally the crew, and passers-by if need be to gang up on the Nexii.

###SheWolf Den feat. SheWolf

The cave that houses the Wolf family of Animated is located near the exit to Zen Gardens. Simply go up one screen and to the east some more. Kill off the Pup and Wolf spawn to access the entrance to the cave. Due to the inefficiency of the difficulty setting panel here, kill the spawns, get at least 1 person in to hold down the instance, and then work on getting the rest of the crew in.

Upon gaining entry, do NOT go deeper into the cave. Heal and buff up here first. [It's permissible to Rage buffs fully into the fight though - just prioritize well if you do this.] Once everyone's ready, move in. Increasing waves of Pups and Wolves will pop out of the walls of the den and launch their counterattack. After several waves have passed, the SheWolf will appear and join the fray. For the person that has the aggro, drop all attacks and focus on keeping your HP above 0. For the crew, priority is set on keeping that person alive through the fight - if aggro switches to another, priority shifts to him/her. Meanwhile, keep up the heat on SheWolf and grind her HP down.

Recap######
Kill the spawns outside, and have at least one person enter.
Stay near the opening to delay the battle until everyone's in, healed, and buffed.
Keep the person who has SheWolf's aggro alive and grind the boss' HP down.

###Saw Mill feat. Papa Saw

From the Bass'ken Lake Null Chamber, go west and over the bridge spanning the river. Nearby is the old Saw Mill where the Saw Family of Animated call home. Feel free to dispatch of any saws that attack on the way there. Kill the ones in front too, to gain entry.

Once again, stay at the opening - the fight only triggers when someone approaches the inner areas of the Saw Mill. When everyone's fully healed and buffed, proceed further into the mill to get Buzz Saws to spawn. Waves of these guys will pop up and pause. A couple of them will spawn intermittently between waves, though. After a few have gone down, one or two Mama Saws will appear based on the size of your Crew. Kill off these and the other Saws to proceed.

Not long afterwards is Papa Saw, angry at you for killing off his family. Being the boss Saw, he's got a lot more HP than Mama Saw, and hits a bit harder as well. Since the Saw Mill's interior is a tad more spacious than the Wolf Den, players who are getting hit can resort to kiting tactics. Keep landing hits on the boss and it'll go down.

Recap######
Buzz Saws pop up in huge waves!
One or Two Mama Saws will spawn depending on the size of your Crew.
Use Kiting tactics to avoid some of the damage from Papa Saw.

###P3 Territory feat. Predator Commander

The P3 Commander can be differentiated by his red fur and colored armor past the invisibility cloak. He commonly spawns on the left-central burrow of the P3 territory, somewhat near to the P3-Terror battleground. You may have to kill off the Honor Guard that spawns in the screen to force the Commander to appear, or you might have to search around for someone else on the quest that has pulled the Commander away from his post.

Once you've engaged him, it's just a matter of hacking away at his HP. Do be mindful of the Honor Guard that may be still in the area, as well as any other P3s that come by and join the fight. The Commander himself has quite the HP count - it may take a while for you to complete the quest. If it seems to be taking too long, see if you can flag down help from other players and even crews as long as you've gained enough Hate to factor in for the quest.

Recap######
Look for him to the East-Southeast of the Battleground.
You may have to search around a bit and/or kill the Honor Guard there first.
If the fight takes too long, flag down help from nearby players and crews.

###Duneslam Island feat. Duneslam

To get to Duneslam Island, there's a little rowboat on the eastern edge of Gold Beach, where the sea meets the sand. Dispose of the two Sand Castle Golems here if you wish, and click on the boat to start the encounter.

Once you've "rowed" there, everything seems calm. To trigger combat, approach the center of the island - a small tremor will shake the island, and waves of Sand Castle Golems and Sand Servants will spawn. The Servants are a tad stronger, as well as inflict a Footspeed debuff. You can bring along Footspeed buffs to counteract this if you like. Once a few waves have passed, Duneslam will pop up - he can be differentiated apart by his blue bucket helm, as well as his size. However he moves slower than the other Golems, so kiting may very well be the tactic of choice in this encounter. Once he's out, simply click on the boat again to row back to shore.

Recap######
The boat is the transportation to Duneslam Island.
Duneslam and the Servants will inflict Footspeed debuffs.
Speed buffs and Kiting for maximum effectiveness.

###Otami Throne Room feat. Giant Stone Coatl

Up at the very highest section of the Otami stairs lies the Otami Throne Room. The stairs directly in front are boody-trapped and will spawn Feathered Coatls and Masks of Death and Rebirth at you - keep your crew together, kill these off, and stand at the top of the stairs, avoiding additional spawns as best you can. Get people in since the trap has a high likelihood of being triggered again since traffic is strangely high in that area.

Once inside the dark room, heal up and put on some buffs. You will notice the Stone Coatl with 3 of his minions, named Masks of Death and Rebirth. Do not attack just yet, since attacks will merely bounce off the shield that's up when the lead Animated are still stationary. Tiny Terrors and Feathered Coatls may spawn off of the Stone Coatl itself. The spawn will continue until one of the Masks loses patience and sorties to attack your Crew. Kill it and a torch lights, weakening the barrier. This cycle will repeat until the last Mask goes down, and that's when the barrier disintegrates completely.

Now that the barrier's gone, the REAL fight begins! [You veterans will remember this as the old Stone Coatl encounter.] The Stone Coatl will start off with firing lightning blasts next to the Tiny Terror and Feathered Coatl spawns, and will warp players back next to him should they try to wander out of the energy shot's reach. Be warned, this is deadly if your connection is less than decent. Upon losing approximately 1/3rds his HP, he'll attack using a series of chained energy shots, which attack a large range of area. Keep up the heat on the Coatl and you'll rid him of another third-ish of his hp, where he'll change his attack pattern to something resembling Shoop Da Woop - firing a laser beam up to the ceiling to have it scatter and hit an even *larger* area. By now some people will undoubtedly have ailing HP counts - make use of AoE Healing, reapply any buffs that have worn out, and continue to put pressure on the Coatl until he finally goes down.

Recap######
Take the encounter slowly, the Masks protect the Coatl with a barrier.
Don't run out of his attack radius, you'll only get warped back in!
The Stone Coatl increases attack area the lower his HP gets!

###Under the Shallow Sea feat. Queen Lorelei

After managing to get through Shallow Seas, Queen Lorelei and company will be right on the screen preceding the entrance to Undersea Ledge.

At first, only the Queen and her lieutenants, Aglaope and Raidne, appear, along with an immobilized Marshall. The three will charge in and attack straightaway. Queen Lorelei will inflict Sleep on crew members, and her lieutenants will heal. In addition, the Queen will summon regular Sea Spouts throughout the fight - take these pawns out for Rage if need be. Once the summoning slows down a bit, make sure you and your crew are adequately protected: once the Queen's HP falls below a certain level, she will spawn a bunch of her Spouts - forget these enemies and focus on killing the Queen. Without their leader, every Spout who spawned for this fight will perish, granting you access to the Ledge and beyond.

Recap######
Queen Lorelei will inflict Sleep, while her lieutenants heal.
Once the Queen's HP hits low levels, a bunch of Sea Spouts will spawn!
Take out the Queen and all her minions follow suit.

Don't waste AoE attacks on one enemy when there's a group coming up behind him. Hit him, wait till they are all together, and *then* use your AoE.

Try to find good combinations of rings to use. For instance, Slash, THEN Hack, THEN Shark Attack so that the knockback effects of Hack or Shark Attack don't move your target out of range before you can use Slash.

Avoid using attacks that hit multiple targets when you'd rather fight only one. (Bite off only what you can chew.)

Running is honorable. If you're in over your head, run away and heal up. It's faster than coming back to the Null Chamber all the time.

You can sometimes 'pull' a monster toward you with a ranged attack so you can fight it at a safe distance from its friends. This has to be done carefully, but can be very effective.

In general, long-ranged attacks do less damage than close-ranged attacks. But not all monsters can hit you at range, so close-up attacks will get you damaged more often. Be aware of those choices!

If you attract the attention of too many monsters, you may find yourself running out of Stamina during the fight. Watch your Stamina meter!

If you have a ring with Knockback, try knocking one target back, then switching targets to attack with another ring, then knock the original target back again when it returns to the fray.

###Out of Combat

Buff up before entering a boss encounter...don't wait until the middle of the fight.

Put the rings you need to use most after Awakening in your first few ring slots so they become unlocked first. (Lots of people do this with Defib so they can help Awaken crew members quickly.)

Power up your G'hi Meter by visiting Barton Town once in a while. Powering those G'hi Buffs up can help you survive a lot longer.

G'hi getting low? Take a quick breather in Barton before you head back out.

The world isn't all combat. Take a moment to chill and hang with other players. Head back to Barton to fill up your G'hi meter. Taking a break once in a while can make you happier.

Watch the enemy indicators on the side of the screen so that you don't accidentally walk into ambushes.

It *is* possible to sneak around some monsters. Many of them can only see you if you are in their front 180-degree arc and some of them are quite short-sighted. You don't have to kill *everything*.

Don't be in a rush! Take your time, try to plan your attack.

When entering a new area, find the null crystal first so you don't have to make that long trek back.

If you are in a new place, exploring, sit down and recover your stamina to 100 whenever you have a chance, cause you never know when the next big fight is coming.

Be sure you have Stamina remaining before you charge into battle.

###Crew Dynamics

Be nice to your crew. They won't help you if they don't like you. (Sounds silly, but it's oh, so true.)

Obviously there is strength in numbers, so join a Crew. Perhaps someone will have Defib so you don't have to read another 'Null Chamber Hint'.

When in a Crew, think about each person taking areas of responsibility. For example, one person heals, one person crowd controls, a couple of people do damage, etc.

You get a lot more loot as part of a Crew than you do as a solo player.

When in a Crew, keep your crew list open to keep an eye on your crewmates and ask them to watch your back as well!

You get a lot more loot as part of a Crew than you do as a solo player.

A crew with a large variety of rings can provide better effectiveness in combat.

If you are in a Crew, try standing closer to others who are fighting. That makes it easier for them to heal you.

Remember, joining a crew will increase the drop rate for a lot of items. This includes Gaia Gold, Charge Orbs, and even Recipes!

Ally-only rings are extremely useful in Crews.

###Game Mechanics

Use your Crew panel to select Crew members for healing and buffing during combat. It's easier and faster than trying to click their avatar.Rings that have 'Armor' stop damage from hitting you on a one-for-one basis. Four points of armor stops four points of damage.

Rings that have Deflection abilities have a percentage chance to prevent some or all of the damage from hitting you.

Rings that have Reflection abilities have a percentage change to bounce some or all of the incoming damage straight back at the attacker.

If you have multiple rings you want to use, then pay attention to their recharge timers and 'twist' your way through the rings as they become available. This maximizes the amount of healing or damaging you can do in a short period of time.

Be aware that later zones are TOUGH if you're just starting out. For instance, if you are lower than CL 6.0, you should seriously reconsider whether Gold Beach is right for you or not.

Keep your crew panel open (even if you're soloing) so you can monitor the status of your buffs and reapply them as soon as they run out.

If you're getting lots of lag, try closing other applications so that zOMG! gets more of your bandwidth pipeline.

Enemies are shown in different colors, and the important ones are like a traffic light. Red = STOP! They're dangerous! Yellow = Use caution. Green = Go, go, go! That monster is a good challenge for you.

You get even more power out of your rings if you combine them into RING SETS (see the Advanced Combat section in GAME HELP for more details on Ring Sets).

Don't put all your Charge Orbs into only one ring. The most efficient use of Orbs is to bring all your rings up at similar levels.

Hit the SPACEBAR to select yourself quickly. This lets you use target yourself for buffs and heals very easily.

A quick Kneel can give you a breather between attacks...just don't get caught kneeling!

If you use Rage attacks, you'll get bigger effects for the same amount of Stamina.

Just what the guide says, a guide primarily designed for healers. And hey, if you have at least one healing ring on [Bandage, Defibrillate, Wish, and/or Diagnose], it's still worth reading. Outside of the Healer "class" guidelines, there are also handy crewing tips as well. It complements this guide by teaching the healers who enable the fighters to stay alive, while this guide teaches the fighters how to protect the healers. Everyone's happy.

Nespin's done a bang-up job covering all of the very basic skills you'll need to be able to play zOMG efficiently. How to move, look for enemies, utilize advanced keyboard features, and perhaps the most important, how to understand soulbinding. If you have a hard time reading my guide, I strongly recommend stopping by here. Also, even if you think you know everything there is in the early stage of the game, there might still be some tidbits of info you can learn. In essence, "This guide is meant to be everything the current training is not."

A very detailed and thorough guide covering the entire journey of zOMG - everything from quest steps, maps of the areas you'll explore, the NPCs you'll talk to, the enemies you'll encounter, and the loot they drop is documented, and then some. Perhaps the oldest guide in the book, too.... as expected from one of the premier zETA Testers.

Kept by the one of the Forum Assistants of the z!F, Val brings out the math and statistics hidden inside your rings. If you've got a burning desire to see which rings have the most Damage per Second, this is the guide for you. Everything from Cooldown Time to Stamina Used is presented here, so read up on this guide if you want to gain an extra edge by streamlining your Ring Set.

Badge Hunters, whether accomplished or aspiring, this is the place for you. Every kind of badge - Kill, Location, Mini-Game, and Event - is covered here, and sorted by area for your perusing leisure. The requirements for getting any badge is listed as well, and there are maps provided. If you still can't get a certain badge, you can also check to see if the badge is glitched, too.

A comprehensive compendium of the terminology common amongst zOMG and its forum - all the unfamiliar language is defined here. Both generic gaming acronyms and zOMG-specific terms are listed here. Not only that, some definitions are even provided with a background as to how they came about in the first place. A very interesting read overall.

Even if it's still in need of some loving edits, a wealth of knowledge is stored up here. Quite a lot of information is covered inside zOMG's Wikipedia-styled page listing. Do stop by sometime and read up on how zOMG is like now, as well as what zOMG used to be like. Even better, you can sign up and add to the databanks here as well!

That concludes the Tome of zOMG Tactics. I sincerely hope you gained some knowledge while reading this. Hopefully it will come in handy sooner or later, when you'll have to defend yourself and your Crew from the perils strewn about on your journeys.

If I missed anything that is relevant in the guide, feel free to notify me by a post in a civil and respectful manner; I'd be happy to oblige to your request. I'll continue updating this Guide as needed.

May the best combat conditions and soundest judgment bless you on your way to battle.

###Legal

Disclaimer: This guide is entirely my original work. You use these tactics provided here under your own risk. I am NOT held accountable if you can't pull off any one tactic successfully. Also, Plagiarism is BAD. May Landshark pop out of the ground and omnomnom you if you ever engage in this dishonorable practice.

You also acknowledge that by posting here, you will follow both the GaiaOnline Terms of Service and the commonly upheld rules of Netiquette. No being rude, being disrespectful, no quoting the posts on the first page, no spamming, no trolling, no begging for gold, et cetera - ESPECIALLY POSTS THAT ASK ON HOW TO UNSOULBIND RINGS. Be forewarned that I will NOT hesitate to use the Report system to flag any posts that are deemed offensive, and I will report WITHOUT prior warning outside of this disclaimer.

###Acknowledgements

Qixter and the Development Team, for making an AWESOME first MMO experience.
Sleek new formatting brought to you by BBCode & You.Luzianne [keeper of the E.I. Calendar], for providing support and checking over my guide. heartHotRed_Streak, for providing early info on the P3 Commander encounter to replace older experiences with that boss.
The zOMG Wiki, for being there to patch up lots of the little holes in my memory.
Everyone who helped out with v1.x. You guys rock.
The Tactical RPG Soundtracks out there, for seeing me through to Guide completion.You, the reader - for taking some time to look over this guide of mine. Thanks. :]

###About the Author and the Guide

I am an insane CSU Sacramento Civil Engineering student. I also happen to be a zOMG Addict... in withdrawal. xD I used to be a zETA Tester, and now I've moved on up into bigger things. Currently I keep an IRC channel running, alongside the sometimes-hectic Real Life if have.The channel and server are #zOMG and irc.deslink.com, respectively. A short and easy shortcut I use is to open up www.tinyurl.com/zomgirc

The inspirations I credit for this guide are taken directly from my General Education requirements from the schooling I receive. The initial tome I drew from when writing the Tome of zOMG Tactics was described within my Kinesiology 118A Class - it dealt with the Uechi-ryu forms of Okinawan Karate. Since it was designated as a Upper Division class, the lectures covered the histories leading up to the development and refinement of the Uechi school as opposed to just practicing the exercises; this started with the legacies and disciplines of Buddhism that started in India, and gradually expanded to the Shaolin fighter monks of Southwestern China. Eventually the practice of the martial arts would spread to the small island of Okinawa, and only later would it be expanded into Japan as well. During the segment on Japan, the professor included a day's lecture on The Book of Five Ringsget it? Rings? Har har har xD by Miyamoto Musashi.

It wasn't until the following semester of that school year when I would encounter yet another legendary tome to draw ideas from, and apply them to the multiplayer online game we all know and love. This time around, the class was History 6 - Asian Civilizations. A superbly interesting class in its own right, it featured a wide study of the major countries in Asia and their ancient histories, covering India, China, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. During the segment of China, the professor included a worhtwhile mention on the works of Sun Tzu: The Art of War.

What you have read thus far has been an adaptation of selected and appropriate teachings from these great works, reinvented, reworked, and reapplied to this quirky game.